All roads lead to you
by Datenma
Summary: IsaacIvan Things are starting to settle down now that the group has returned to the village and things are returning to normal. Except for one person. Isaac seems to be distancing himself from everyone but only Ivan is worried. Can he help Isaac?


**Warning:** Mmm boy fluff  
**A/N: **Japanese names in use woo. Robin - Isaac. Jasmine - Jenna. Mary - Mia. Gerald - Garet. Garcia - Felix. Picard - Piers (epic phail on the name trasnlations btw). Ivan's so epic that he didn't need a name change.  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own them, if I did, things would have ended a little differently.

Read and review if you like it. Thank you for reading.

**All roads lead to you  
By: **Datenma

Robin's heart is broken. Ever since we came back to Haidia Village, he's become so distant from the rest of the group, even from his own parents. Whenever I'm near him, my heart aches to the point of breaking, the emotions radiating from him heart wrenching.

I thought that he would be happy once we stopped the world from slowly deteriorating, brought his father back to Haidia Village and things started to settle down again. But a couple of days after things settled down, he would slip out of the house and head up the mountain by himself and stay there for hours at a time. The others don't seem as worried about him as I am but they can't feel what I feel when they're around him. Maybe it's because of psynergy or maybe it's because Robin and I became so close over the months of journeying, whatever the reason may be, I really wish that I knew how to help him.

I wish that he would smile at me softly like he always did.

I sit down under a large oak tree, watching some of the village children running across the plaza, chasing a goat around the fountain while Gerald chased after the kids. Mary and Jasmine sat on the edge of the fountain, laughing as Gerald tripped, crashing onto the ground, the goat and the kids tramping over him as they came around again. I would have smiled if my mind wasn't on other things.

Garcia and Picard are off adventuring together, searching for new places to explore and revisiting old ones along with the people they met along the way the first time. They left early this morning and everyone in the village saw them off, with the exception of Robin.

I have to admit that I miss adventuring too but being able to see the same smiling faces and become familiar with the people that have known Robin since he was a child…I want to become part of the same world that Robin worked so hard to protect. If someone like Robin wanted so hard to protect this village, then maybe I can become apart of the village that he loves so much.

But if he keeps distancing himself from the village and everyone around him…I won't know what to do.

I want to talk to him but I don't even know where to begin. I don't even know if he would be willing to talk to me. I tried to read his mind once but it was clouded, even from me. Thankfully, he didn't notice that I had attempted to read his mind, he might have yelled at me and told me to leave him alone if he did…

I just wish that I wasn't the only one worried about him, not even his parents.

A butterfly lands on the back of my hand and I twitch my fingers slightly, controlling a small breeze to blow it away. It merely flutters in the breeze for a moment before landing on my knuckle. I sigh and blink as a familiar shadow moves towards me and I tilt my head back, finding Dora standing there, a basket of fruit from the market resting on her arm. She smiles at me gently, "You have been a little depressed ever since Robin started spending time up at the Shrine, but you know, I think that he's waiting for you to go to him so that the two of you can talk alone."

I blink, tilting my head slightly as the butterfly flies off, fluttering past her. She smiles softly, "I think that, you've come to know my son better than anyone else in this village. He's quiet but the way that he looks at you whenever the two of you are together…" She smiles more, shaking her head and reaching into the basket, pulling out an apple, "Why don't you go see him, I'm sure you want to."

"But what if he doesn't want to talk to me…he hasn't said a word to me since we got here…" If I had known it was going to be like this, I would have gone to Contigo rather than come here…but Robin asked me to come back with him to Haidia Village. Maybe I'm just saying that now. I probably would have come here even if he hadn't asked me.

She smiles, leaning down and ruffling my hair, "You'll never know unless you try and even though you're a little frightened, you know deep down that cares about you and he wouldn't get mad at you if you try your best." She straightens, tilting her head back and looking up at the sky, "With everything that Robin does by himself, I often forget that he's still so young but I'm glad that he has a cute boy worrying about him so much. He may never say it, but he does need someone to look after him and make sure that his heart is taken care of just as much as his body."

She smiles gently, "Well, I'm going to get dinner started, make sure you talk to Robin before it's time to come eat." She waves to me as she heads for the stone steps built into the mountain, heading deeper into the village. I let out another sigh, turning away and staring at the grass for a moment, trying to gather my courage.

I know that Robin would never yell at me but it isn't him yelling at me that I'm really worried about, it's the words that he doesn't say that plague me the most. He's handsome and brave and kind but at the same time, I've seen the worst of him. I've seen the look in his eyes when he's truly mad, I never, ever what him to look at me with that fierce gaze.

He may not hate me for trying to talk to him when he wants to be alone but he could avoid me more than he already is. Well, like his mother said, I'll never know unless I try and if I actually do get through to him, then it'll be better for everyone, right?

I take a deep, standing up slowly and dusting off the back of my pants before heading up towards the Shrine. It'll be the second time I've been there, the first being when I followed Robin there to find out where he was disappearing to all the time.

I never thought that I would have troubles with Robin when he was the first one who came to me, unafraid, not like how people had treated me before I met him. He is the first person who made me feel human and not like a monster or a freak. Even from the moment that we first met, he found a way to endear himself to me in a way that no one else had thought of. Robin's different from anyone that I have ever met. He's special. In a short time, he's become the most important person to me. Just the thought of losing him is too much to bear.

I find him sitting down near a ledge away from the Shrine, overlooking the mountain range to the east. He seems lost in his thoughts, a gentle breeze playing with his sandy blonde hair and blowing back his scarf.

I hesitate for a moment, wrapped up in his serious expression at first. He looks like he has a lot on his mind but I still can't even begin to even imagine what thoughts are going through his head. After spending so much time together, after sharing so much, Robin is still one of the greatest mysteries.

I collect my courage once again and take a couple of steps towards him. I only manage to get a few feet away from him before a wave of emotion washes over me and I sway, a tear rolling down my cheek.

He lifts his head slowly and turns around, those pale blue eyes blinking at me before he stands, small pebbles grinding against the stone under his boots as he walks over to me. He's in front of me in a matter of seconds and kneels down on one knee, touching my shoulders, "What happened, Ivan?"

I blink up at him and somehow, I just can't stop the flood of tears. "Y-you still ask me that after you haven't talked to me since we got here…" He lifts his hand to my cheek slowly and I'm surprised that his bare hands are so soft. Maybe it's because he always wore his leather gloves while he carried his sword. He wipes the tears away tenderly and I let out a soft hiccup and he looks at me gently, smiling softly, doing his best to reassure me.

"Ivan…that's…" He sighs softly, taking my hand and standing slowly, pulling me with him. He leads me to the ledge where he had been sitting and sits down again, still holding my hand so I lower myself down onto the ledge next to him, watching his profile for a moment before following his eyes to the horizon line far in the distance.

The sky slowly stretching away from us until it comes down to kiss the tops of the mountains is a breathtaking sight and I feel the pain in my heart begin to ease. He shifts next to me, resting his hand in his lap, still clutching at my own.

Robin is truly handsome. I thought that the first time I saw him but what I find myself most drawn to are his eyes. His eyes are full of emotion even when his face is completely blank, rage, sadness, a dull ache. It's as if a dam has broken behind his eyes and everything rushes to the surface, each crying out to be heard above the rest.

He takes a deep breath, drawing me away from my thoughts, "I didn't mean to push you away or hurt you…I thought that maybe now that we're here, you won't need me hanging all over you like I had been when we were traveling. There are a lot of people here for you to meet…people better than I am…if you…met someone and fell in love…" He shakes his head, "I don't want to get more attached to you than I already am but I don't want to stand in the way of you finding someone that you love. I can get pretty jealous and I don't want to end up hurting someone in the village…especially if you care about them…"

"What are you talking about, Robin…you're the one I care about. You're the person that I'm in love with."

…What…? What…did I just…

We blink at each other and I feel my face grow hot. He leans towards me, his cheeks coloring slightly, "Ivan…do you know what you're saying?" There's a mixture of joy and confusion in his pale blue eyes and my heart starts to pound. He seems almost desperate to know and emotions gently pull at my heart.

"Of course I know what I'm saying…" I glance down nervously, "I mean…I haven't thought about it…but I hated that you kept coming up here alone and stopped talking to me like you use to…"

He tugs on my hand and I fall against him, my head landing on his chest, his other hand going to the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair. His touch is so gentle I can't help but relax in his arms. "I fell for you without meaning to, though I guess that's how love works…but I didn't want to ruin your life because of my selfishness…"

"Idiot…you're allowed to be selfish…" I slip my arms under his, clutching at his back gently and taking a deep breath. His scent is something all his own, something soft, a mixture of fresh grass, warm sunlight and a gentle breeze.

He pulls back slightly, his cheeks still flushed. "Ivan…do you think I can start being selfish…and kiss you?"

I know my entire face is red by now and he blinks, smiling softly, placing his hand on my cheek, brushing the pad of his thumb along my cheekbone. I smile shyly, shaking my head and leaning into his touch slightly, "It's not being selfish if you have to ask."

He laughs softly and nods, leaning forward slowly and pressing his lips to mine, our eyes sliding closed at the same moment. Even though the kiss last for just a few moments, it's long enough to erase all doubts and fears from my mind. He pulls back slowly, leaning his forehead against mine gently and sighs softly.

"What do you say…we go out on a journey of our own, just the two of us?" I blush and smile softly, leaning against him, turning my head slightly to watch the sun setting in the distance.

"Sounds like a plan…"

No matter what path we take, even if we may be separated by some force of man or nature, we'll always find each other…because every road in my life, will always lead me straight back to you.

-Owari-


End file.
